CaRES Student Housing

In summer 2016, with the expansion of our CaRES eligibility pool to include students from Samford University, Auburn University, and the University of South Alabama, the need arose for summertime housing in Birmingham for CaRES students. Presumably UAB and Samford students can retain the housing arrangements they have had thus far in this academic year, while Auburn and USA students will need to find housing. Unfortunately, housing is not an allowable expense on “R25” training grants such as CaRES, so we have no funds to pay for student housing. Our funding agency, the National Cancer Institute (NCI), views the CaRES stipend as “subsistence” money for room and board. Therefore, CaRES students must pay for housing out-of-pocket.

General guidelines on finding housing at or near UAB:

First, if you are lucky enough to have family or close friends living in the Birmingham area, explore this option first! Maybe you can live with them for free, or at a very low cost.

Some universities have money set aside to support student training experiences off-campus. Ask your academic department or school at Auburn or USA if any student housing grants are available.

In general, housing is cheaper if you share a room or a suite, rather than live by yourself. We will have 5-10 USA and Auburn students doing CaRES at UAB this summer, so you may want to share living space with other CaRES students to save some money.

You may want to access “bed and breakfast” websites, apartment guides typically found at fast food restaurants, or newspaper classified ads, for opportunities to rent a room, an apartment, or a house in the UAB area (e.g., Southside, Highland Avenue) for the summer.

Here are three specific places that you may want to consider for housing this summer. These are only examples, for your information. You are advised to verify the costs and other information stated below, which may have changed since this information was gathered in early 2017. If you know of better options, please share them with Dr. Waterbor at h2obor@uab.eduwho will forward your information to other CaRES students. Email Dr. Waterbor if you have questions.

UAB Dormitory: UAB keeps at least one dormitory open each summer for students who will be on campus for academic programs or sports camps. The cost is about $28-$40 per night, which adds up over 8-10 weeks! An advantage is that UAB dormitories are walk-able from the UAB buildings where CaRES projects are based. I understand that once you sign a dormitory contract, the UAB Parking office will give you a pass for parking on campus. For further information, contact UAB Student Housing at 205-996-0409.

“University Place”: This facility, located on campus at 951 18th Street South, for many years had been a UAB-owned motel for campus visitors, but several years ago, it was privatized and converted into a combination motel and apartment house. Rooms of various sizes (studio, one BR, two BR, etc.), are available by the month or by the semester. The rental rates range widely, depending on what you want: furnished or unfurnished space, number of room-mates and number of bedrooms (if you plan to share space), and number of weeks or months. Assistant Manager B. J. Smith volunteered to negotiate a better deal than is reflected on their price list, if several CaRES students decide to stay here. University Place has its own parking lot, so you could probably keep your car parked all week, and walk to and from your CaRES building. Advantages include a swimming pool and proximity to 5 Points South where numerous restaurants (including Waffle House!) and nightlife can be found. For further information please access leasing@theplaceapts.com or call 205-933-2822.

“Extended Stay America”: This motel rents rooms by the day or by the week. It is located at 40 State Farm Parkway in the Wildwood Shopping Center area off Lakeshore Parkway in Homewood, three exits south of the I-65 exit for UAB. The cost is $328 per week for a single room, or $368 per week for a double room (each person paying half). Other deals may be negotiable. Advantages are proximity to many restaurants and stores (including Wal Mart) and free parking on site . . . but you would need to drive in to campus every day and pay to park in a UAB Lot 15 ($17.50 for the summer; see details about UAB parking elsewhere on this website). For further information access <ExtendedStayAmerica.com> or call 205-290-0102.